This mid-June photo on a fairly hot day was suprising to me in many ways. One was how bright and clear that day was at a time of year when hazy and humid is more common.

Next was how much of the dew was still on the flowers in direct sunlight despite it being nearly Noon.

Lastly, what was amazing was the tiny diamond like specks of water droplet reflections shimmering and shining like jewles encrusted in a gold leaf.

As you know, you need lots of green (money) to buy so many diamonds encrusted in Gold. But, this moment was free by the blessings of God, despite it being the toughest ever financial phase of my life.

Even if you have nothing, or are about to lose everything, take a walk - and see the wealth, the jewels, the treasures God still blesses you, and us, with that we are lucky enough to be alive to enjoy.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

This is one of the most unnatural looking yet completely natural colors I can recall capturing. This non-HDR shot shows stunningly high dynamic range of my neighbor's highly Neon bright Hydrangea to the side of my house at high noon.

It was nearing mid-day when I stepped out of the house to take some pictures on an especially vivid, blindingly bright, Summer day in June.

Usually the weather at my home at that time can be somewhat hazy from humidity and heat on Long Island, New York.

This day it was definitely glowing warm and the sun was almost vertically above. These plants are at the corner of my neighbor's house, and partly shaded - but the grassy grounds that stretch behind the house were awash in the bright hot light of the sun.

I cannot take credit for the spectacular colors the Nikon D300 captured at ISO280. I was simply shooting in Program mode - while bending over backwards (literally) to frame the three depths of flowers aligned but visible for a bokeh effect and playing with the 100-300 (450mm eq) lens.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

4th of July Fireworks at Watch Hill & Davis Park, opposite my beach on the Great South Bay, Heron Pointe, East Patchogue, New York. I am sure the plan was not to have these fireworks (shot over 15 seconds) to make the shape of a heart like this photo, but this is what it came out as.

This was a particularly blindlingly bright day of the Summer of 2010. My life was still in turmoil, in a seemingly endless downward spiral. I still jauntily walked around my house, soaking in the sun, and the blessings God still bestowed me with.

Nikon in hand, I clicked on many of the flowers around my home that were in full bloom.

I did not know how much longer I would live in that dream home, had no way of stopping the total nuclear meltdown like stage that my life had gone through, financially and emotionally, from being away to Pakistan for most of the year after my Father's sudden death.

Walking by the flowerbeds he had seen many of the same bulbs bloom during his stay here in 1996, I let the bright white light of the sun and the ultra-violet, indigo, dark orchid range of colors the iris flowers fired melt into the irises of my eyes. And my camera.

Here is a flood of colors, with green blades, like light sabers battling the violet laser light of the flowers.

Thursday, April 07, 2011

SOOC Image Straight Out Of Camera!! NO editing, tweaking, of ANY kind. Only framed in Photoshop & saved image as 7MB JPG.

I've been living and boating on the Great South Bay, between Patchogue, Bellport, Fire Island and many of the amazing Long Island inlets for 16 years.

Every Eastbound cruise has me hooking around the channels from the Great South Bay into Bellport Bay, near the shallows of Howell's Point.

Finally, on February 27, 2011, as I was running an errand, I realized that the sun covered by layers of clouds would create a spectacular sumst. I rushed home, grabbed the Nikon bag, and on a whim headed to find my way to Howell's Point.

Taking the meandering roads off of South Country Road, I finally arrived at my destination.... only to find the road so flooded that there was water up to the doorsills a quarter mile up the road.

Risking stalling the engine, I slowly drove through that water until the front wheels of the car were up high enough on the sand which had washed on to the road so I could actually get out, twist and stretch my leg out to not disembark into the flooded street.

I then made my way to the point I had seen for 16 years - and gazed upon this magnificent sunset.

The Nikon did it's thing. I was only there to bemesmerized by the lava color filled sky, from a muted sun feeding a volcanic eruption of passionate colors into the moist cloudy embraces of the sky....

Saturday, April 02, 2011

This is one of the most interesting, spectacular and delightful places I have ever traveled to. The Baths, at Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands are a wonder of nature. What was likely an eruption of red molten rock from the earth, is one of the bluest of blue places I have ever seen.

The rocks, like pebbles strewn in sand, line this area of caves, nooks and crannies, to steal a kiss, or more in, for lovers seeking virgin spots to leave their mark.

The rocks in the middle of the picture almost made me title this photo in memory of the statutes of Easter Island and the rocks at Stonehenge -- StonesUnHinged. I'll hang on to that title in my mind for another photo more suitable for it.

I hope you get to savor some of these sweet spots made for lovers, for love, for passion, without ration.